Yugoslavia was a mesh of incompatible ethnic groups thrown together after WWI. The country was essentially divided into six groups upon its creation; Serbs, Croats, Muslims, Slovenes, Macedonians, and Montenegrins. After WWII, the country officially became a federation of six republics, each with a mixed population. Republics Croatia and Slovenia declared independence, and then in 1991, Yugoslavian armies led by Serbia invaded the two states. When Bosnia declared independence, Bosnian Muslims strongly supported the movement while Bosnian Serbs opposed. In the meantime Serbia and Montenegro formed a new Yugoslavia. Outraged at the breakup from Serbia, Bosnian Serbs led a brutal war against Bosnia.
Serbs used the ethnic cleansing during the was to help rid Bosnia of its Muslim population, which was just systematic murder and brutalit, not unlike genocide. The Serbs held 70% of Bosnia by 1995 and the UN helped end the war temporarily, but in 1998 in Kosovo, a province made up almost entirely out of ethnic Albanians, a rebbellion against the Serbs was staged and again the Serbian armies invaded. NATO, outraged that the Serbs failed to try diplomacy, launched a bombing campaign in Yugoslavia to convince the "government" there to withdraw from Kosovo and in 1999, the troops were withdrawn.
There is still much resentment between Albanians and Serbs, although there is currently no major conflict going on right now.
The lesson learned from the breakup of Yugoslavia is that when vastly different ethnic groups are forced into one country, nothing good will come of it.
This video shows the mutual hatred between Serbs and Albanians before and after the ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. Although efforts were made by the government to hold Yugoslavia together, the breakup was inevitable due to the hatred between Serbs and Albanians.
kosovo_17march.jpgThese images show the oppression, segregation, suffering, and conviction of Serbs or Albanians to hate the other. The child waving the flag is the ultimate blind follower, not having any real idea what hes supporting. The burning house shows the hatred and suffering and the military procession shows the oppresion. These images show the causes, means, and effects of hate in ethnic cleansing.